Through His Eyes
by NinjaChipmunk
Summary: After 18 long years, some ninja remember the daughter of the Third Hokage that died on a mission. Very few remember her being the lover of the Fourth Hokage. Even fewer knew that she was pregnant with his child. Now, she's nothing but a ghost from their past until a sudden unexpected rescue brings up those ghosts. Sequel to 'In Their Eyes'. Follows the storyline.
1. Prologue

**Sup readers? So I've decided to start writing up the sequel to 'In Their Eyes' because frankly, the two websites still have my stories and I am tired to waiting to see if they will ever come down. My goal is to to write a chapter per day because this fall will be my last semester of college and will be my busiest semester yet so I'm making good of this summer and whatever time I have in the fall. On a side note, is it terrible that I would love to see a restaurant where people are not on their iPhones and are talking to the people they are sitting with? Seriously, what's the point of having a family outing and everyone is on his or her phone?**

* * *

 **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO OWN MY OCS.**

* * *

Hiruzen moved through the hallways of the hospital with two of his ANBU members behind him. Nurses, doctors, visitors, and patients quickly stepped to the side and lowered their heads in silent respect as he passed. Giving slight nods in thanks, the Third Hokage made a left and walked down another hallway. While appearing the calm and stern figure of the Hokage on the outside, inside, he was writhing in fear and anguish. A mission had gone badly, the mission that he had assigned to his little girl. Stopping in front of a pair of double swinging doors, the dark haired man looked up at the sign at the left of the doors.

 _ **MORGUE**_.

The word made his heart plummet even further. Taking in a breath, Hiruzen stepped forward and pushed through the doors.

The harsh lights made him squint under his broad Hokage hat until his eyes got use to the brightness. The first thing he saw were two long bodies sitting on the metal tables, covered in pale green sheets, and their feet exposed with tags hanging from their toes. It wasn't until he looked over to the right did he see the people surrounding the third and far more noticeably smaller figure under the green sheet. His strong wife stood closest to the table, her dark eyes unusually pained. Shikaku stood next to her, slouching inward with his hands shoved into his pockets as he stared at the sheet, clearly itching to yank it back to reveal the face of the body. His students, Tsunade and Orchomaru stood near by holding clipboards in their hands as they watched the two with blank faces. Minato wasn't present as he was out on a mission with his three genin and Naegi's own genin. Jiraya was also absent as he was off spying.

"Sensei," Orochimaru spoke up, his gold eyes glittered with an unspoken emotion. "You came."

He nodded. "Well?" He asked calmly, his eyes on the sheet.

Tsunade opened her mouth but she closed it quickly, turning her head away as tears started to line the edges of her eyes. Hiruzen glanced down at the body before reaching his hand out, only to have his hand grabbed by a slender pale hand. Looking up, his dark eyes meet those of the Snake Sanin. The long haired man shook his head as he released his grasp on his teacher's wrist.

"Results prove it, Sensei. It's her."

As the words left Orochimaru's mouth, tears began to stream down Biwako's cheeks as she covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a choked cry. Hiruzen lowered his head, the brim of his hat hiding his face as grief took over.

"How?" He croaked.

Orochimaru lifted a page on the board and replied, "A barrage of exploding tags. With what tissue was left we tested to reveal a poison in her system. Tsunade and I find it surprising that Naegi-chan allowed a poison tipped kunai to hit her. We're assuming she had hesitated for some reason before taking the blunt of the blast."

Hesitated? What could cause her to hesitate?

"…Pregnant."

The tiny word that Tsunade whimpered made all heads whipped around to stare at her.

"What?" Biwako whispered. "What did you say?"

The Slug Princess looked up, tears on her cheeks. "She was pregnant. She begged me not to tell."

The silence in the morgue was deafening as everyone took in the words the blonde said.

"Did he know?"

The low growl in Shikaku's voice made everyone turn to the shadow user. His dark eyes were zeroed in on Tsunade. "Did that baka know that she was pregnant?"

Tsunade blinked. "Minato? She told me she was going to tell him…"

The Nara scowled before stalking out of the morgue, his hands still shoved into his pockets. The four watched him leave before looking back down at the covered figure. With a muttered 'excuse me' Tsunade hurried away, Orochimaru following her after a nod to his teacher and his wife. With the door swinging closed behind him, it was just Hiruzen and Biwako. They each stood on either side of the table, silent but rolling in grief on the inside.

"I suspected." His wife said hollowly, making Hiruzen look up. She shook her head. "When she came for dinner the night before she left…I noticed that she had put on a little weight…but I wasn't sure…" Biwako looked up at Hiruzen, fresh tears in her eyes. "Why? Why wouldn't she tell us?"

The aging Hokage said nothing in respond to his wife, his eyes only meeting her. Walking around the table, he pulled into his arms, cradling his emotionally fragile wife to his firm chest. Shaking his head, all the man said was,

"I don't know."

* * *

"Minato! Shikaku! What the hell are you doing?!" Kushina Uzuimaki shouted when the new Nara Head appeared and slammed the newly arrived Minato into a wall, pressing his forearm against the blonde's neck. The 9 genin that stood behind Kushina watched with wide eyes. The two shinobi that stood in charge the gate watched with bewilderment and caution.

Bewildered blue eyes stared at Shikaku. "Shika-"

"Did she tell you?" Hissed the shadow user, pressing his forearm harder against Minato's neck. "Did you know?!"

"Who told him what?" Kushina demanded, stepping forward. "Shikaku, what is going on?"

Shikaku's hard and angry dark never left Minato's baby blues as he said, "Before Naegi took on her mission in the Land of Grass, she went to meet with Tsunade because she wasn't feeling well. After Tsunade examined her, it turns out that Naegi was pregnant."

Kushina gasped and cover her mouth, while Kakashi, Gai, Ebisu, and Genma looked on with horror their eyes. Minato's eyes widened and his face pale at the words. "What?" he whispered as numbness began to spread through his body.

Shikaku leaned in closer, the words coming out his mouth full of vemon. "She was carrying your child, Namikaze. And you let her go on the mission!" He roared.

The blonde was still in a daze; his eyes blank at he took in his comrade's words. "…Was?" He whispered. "…. She _was_ pregnant?"

At Minato's words, Shikaku stared at him before slowly pulling back, watching at Minato slowly fell to his knees as he gazed up at Shikaku with agonized eyes. Team Namikaze stared at their kneeling sensei in shock, never seeing the strong and powerful man on his knees before just from a few words. Genma, Naegi's fairly normal student stepped forward. "Nara-sama….where is Naegi-sensei?"

All hearts dropped as the dark haired man closed his eyes and lowered his head, three particular hearts cracking at his silence. Kushina fell to her knees with an agonized cry, her three genin quickly swarming around her to offer comfort. Gai had big fat tears pouring down his red cheeks as he latched onto Ebisu who only lowered his head as tears began to gather in this eyes, and Genma was biting down hard on his dulled senbon, his face turning red as he struggled to keep the tears from falling. Rin was out right sobbing, her arms around Obito who was furiously readjusting his goggles. Kakashi was the only who's eyes were clear of tears, but his shinobi heart was aching for the lost of the woman who was his godmother, his aunt, and teacher. He glanced at the immobile Minato who was still staring up at Shikaku. Naegi had been pregnant, with Minato-sensei's child. A child that could have changed the world with his (it had to have been a boy) father's strength and wisdom paired with his mother's gentle and friendly heart. He could also see him now; a tiny grinning blonde with familiar mischievous green eyes, waving his one free while the other clutched the hand of a grinning Naegi. But that vision faded when Minato stumbled to his feet before darting towards the direction of the hospital, clearly refusing to believe Shikaku until he saw with his own eyes.

* * *

The apartment was absolute mess, broken dishes and picture frames were scattered across the floor, and clothing tossed everywhere. Sitting on the bed was a ragged Minato, his red eyes rimmed with tears as he held a picture in his trembling hands. It was a picture of the two of them on their first 'date' at the Festival, Naegi looking beautiful in her beautiful kimono and Minato standing next to her in his blue yukata with a beaming smile. Her sensei and his own student's father had snapped the photo for the two, telling them at these help with precious memories when "…you get old and wrinkly..", making Naegi snark back at her old teacher about when she would be "…an old fart like him…". The memory made the blonde smile tightly but new tears were pooling quickly. Letting out a choked moan, the young man buried his face into one of his hands, his shoulders shaking as he remembered running into morgue to see the Hokage holding his sobbing wife. Not realizing that the Hokage's sharp eyes were focused on him, Minato had slowly stumbled towards the metal table and tried to look under the sheet. The sight and smell of what remained of his love made the blonde let out a choking scream, stumbling back to vomit into a trashcan. After he removed all of the contents of his stomach into the metal can, Minato heard the Hokage tell him that it was confirmed that it was she and the young shinobi let out a sob. Kushina had followed him, and refusing to look towards the table where _she_ was lying, the red head led the blonde out of the morgue to back to the apartment. There, she watched him rip the place apart in his anguish.

"Why?"

His hoarse voice made the redhead look up from her spot in the kitchen. He was still looking at the photo of the two of them. "Why didn't she tell me?"

Kushina was silent. Naegi always did something for a good reason, being a firm believer in the teachings of Sakumo-sensei. She still wouldn't do something this stupid, especially with a child on the way. Especially _Minato's_ child…

The Uzumaki snuck another glance at the mourning blonde. Naegi had always called him a pretty boy, and she wasn't far off. As a child, he was certainly cute but as an adult, he had turned annoyingly handsome. Women were certainly attracted to the gentle blonde and Kushina ashamedly was one of them. She gave herself a mental slap. Now was not the time for noting how attractive the blonde was.

"I don't know," she finally admitted, trying not to notice the tightening of his grip on the frame.

"I loved her," he whispered as tears fell from his eyes onto the glass of the picture. He attempted to wipe them away but it only made them smear across the glass. "How could she do this to me?"

"Minato…" Kushina said sadly, watching at the normally strong man struggled to keep himself composed. She couldn't bear this. "Why don't you stay the night with me? You're in no shape to be alone right now."

The man just nodded, keeping his grip tight on the photo frame. "Thank you Kushina…" He whispered. "You're a good friend."

That night, several shinobi stared into the cups of sake before silently toasting to their daughter, sister, dead friend, lover, and beloved. Tears trailed down flushed cheeks and pained sobs filled empty rooms while a few sat on their porch and watched the fireflies dance across the ponds in the gardens.

* * *

 _ **8 months later**_

"MOTHER OF-"

"Push child!" the old woman snapped, holding a blanket at the ready. The young soon to be month threw her head back against the cloth that pillowed her head as she let a loud long cry. The two young women that stood near by with hot water and towels flinched at the young mother's cries.

"I am!" She snarled, tightening her grip onto the stakes buried in the ground. "Fuckity fuck FUCK! Minato, I would so kill you if you were here right now!"

"That's nice, dear. NOW PUSH!"

Gritting her teeth, she squeezed her eyes shut and gave one last push. The world went deaf as a single loud squall of a newborn baby reached her ears. Dropping her head on the pillow, she blinked rapidly as tears began to pool in her eyes. Soft muttering came over from where the three ladies were gathered around the infant before the old woman broke through a lumpy blanket wrapped around the sobbing baby. The two young women helped the brand new mother up in order to hold her child.

"Here we are, dear," She said kindly. "Arms up. Mind his head."

Eagerly, she opened her arms as the midwife carefully placed the baby in her arms. She could feel a mix of giddiness, sadness and hope as she pulled the blanket away from the baby's head to look at him when she froze.

Black hair.

Not blonde.

Spikey but not blonde.

Naegi stared the at her baby with wide eyes, taking in the black hair, the beauty mark under his right eye, and the blue and green eyes that were squinting up a her.

This isn't Naruto.

Who the hell was this?

* * *

 _ **6 years later:**_

The pain radiating from his midsection was nearly unbearable. Minato coughed up ruby red blood, a trail trickling from the corner of his mouth as he looked past the head of his fiery wife to that of his crying newborn son. Black was surrounding his vision but his gaze was focused on his little boy. Tears began to gather his eyes.

' _Grow strong and wise, Naruto_ ,' he thought a smile on his face. ' _I'm sorry that your mother and I can't be here to watch you grow, but Naegi and your big brother or sister will help keep an eye on you. I just know it. She would of loved you, as much as her own. Be strong, Naruto.'_

The enraged roar of the Nine Tails echoed throughout the valley as it was sealed away inside the tiny newborn, and as it was sealed away, both Minato and Kushina fell to the ground. As the darkness grew closer and thicker, Minato smiled weakly at the starry sky as his life began to fade.

' _I'm sorry Naegi, but I can't join you and our child at the moment. But someday, we'll be together. You, our little one, Kushina and me…we will all be together. I can't wait to see you Naegi. I have so much to tell you…And our little one…a son….a…a daughter, I bet…they're just..like….you…'_

The Third skidded to a halt along with the shinobi that followed him, quickly going to sides of the Lord Fourth and his wife. The shinobi that knelt beside the Fourth, as he quickly tried to apply medical aid, thought he heard the younger Hokage whisper something into the wind before his heart stopped.

"…Naegi…"

* * *

 ***CRASH** *

"Mommy?!"

The small toddler hurried into the next room where his mother was kneeling, trembling hands clutched at her chest. Her one eye was wide as she stared down at the broken bowl.

"I'm ok, kiddo," She assured her tiny son as he hurried over and grabbed her shirt with tiny fists, his big eyes wide.

"What happened Momma?" He questioned curiously, glancing down at the bowl and up to his mother.

She gave him a shaky but warm smile. Leaning down she pressed her lips to his forehead. "Nothing sweetie. It's nothing…."

As he gave her happy smile before toddling back into the next room, the young 24-year-old mother stared down at her hands that were still trembling.

"…Minato…"

* * *

 **Ta-da!**

 **Now to answer questions you all had after I posted the last chapter to 'In Their Eyes'**

 **DarkDust27: That will be revealed soon on what happened when Naegi 'died'**

 **ShugoYuuki123: Yup! Minato and Naegi did some lovin' and 9 months later pops out Raiu instead of Naruto**

 **SortaCore: There was very good reason why Naegi wanted to 'die' and Orochimaru, being the creepy Frankstein scientist that he is, was able to help her.**

 **The Almighty Pyro: Like I said to SortaCore, there's a very good reason Naegi left and had Orochimaru help her.**

 **I hope I cleared up a few things for you all and hoped you enjoyed the first chapter of Through His Eyes!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Hey friends! So as you read in the prologue, there is a possible pairing between Naegi and a guy. Since I think a lot of characters need love, you all get to decide who Naegi is paired up with next! Again! Cause Minato died with Kushina, his lovely wife and I refuse to reverse time for Minato and Naegi to get together. Same rules as before, someone in Naegi's age group (she's the in 30's, same age group like Tsume, Shikaku, and Hiashi) and I'll have a poll set up! If you think that she should be paired with someone else that isn't listed, message me please! She can be paired with anyone from any nation, not just the Leaf. You could pair her with B or A, Baki (I think he's in the same age group), etc. Remember! She will not be paired with anyone younger than her! Like I won't pair her with Kakashi and so on.**

 **UPDATE: THE POLL IS UP! You can pick which guy you want Naegi to be paired with or if you want someone else to appear on the poll list, please tell me via PM. If you can't because you're not a member of FF , tell me via review! Thank you!**

* * *

 **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO OWN MY OCS.**

* * *

" _Can you tell me about Daddy?"_

 _Naegi Sarutobi smiled softly, reaching over to comb his spiky locks away from his face, tapping the beauty mark under his left eye._

" _Of course, Raiu."_

He slowly opened his eyes, the mismatched pair staring up at the ceiling of their temporary shelter. Turning his head slightly to the side, his gaze fell upon the sleeping form of his mother. She was sprawled out on her blankets as she snored softly, a small trail of drool coming from the corner of her mouth. The view made him smile. His mother was indeed pretty to the eye but her elegance and grace was non-existent when she slept.

Sitting up, Raiu Sarutobi ran his fingers through his messily spiked hair as he glanced outside the open window. He grimaced at the sight of the steady rain that fell from the dark sky. He had forgotten how much the Land of Water rained. Letting of sigh, he stood up and stretched as his bones creaked and cracked back into place. Taking another glanced at his sleeping mother, the young man walked over to the long cloth that served as a door for the establishment. Pushing it to the side, Raiu stared out past the rain and the surrounding field. He was growing tired of the constant moving from place to place, never staying in one area for too long. Mother had claimed that it wasn't safe and that there were dangerous shinobi that would be looking for the two of them. Her green eye had stared firmly up at him and her hands on her hips as she told him this. Raiu had protested, telling her that together they could defend themselves against anyone who would dare to attack the two of them. All she did was give him a sad smile and patted his cheek before walking off to do a perimeter scan. Raiu had a sneaking suspicion that their constant moving around involved his not present father. Mother had told him that his father was a brave and strong shinobi, a shinobi that had 'flee on sight' written on his page in the bingo book. His presence felt like warm sunshine his mother described, a far away look in her eye, and his skills could not be matched. His father was truly one of a kind. Raiu had looked for this father in the bingo book, but there was no shinobi with a 'flee on sight' in the pages.

"Raiu?"

Turning his head, Raiu watched his mother sit up from her makeshift bed. Waist length hair was tied back into a messy braid and her eyes hidden by her bangs, which she promptly brushed away, her one sharp green eye watching him.

"What is it?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, Mom."

She quirked a thin eyebrow at him. He sent her an exasperated look. "I'm fine!" he told her, walking back over to his own bed and plopped down. "I was just thinking."

Tugging her hair free of the messy braid it was confined to, his mother began to braid it again. "About what?"

Glancing down at his hands instead of answering his mother, Raiu took a moment to observe them. The skin was rough and calloused from years of training, little white scars decorating the tips of his fingers from sharpening the steel. His hands themselves were slender; the fingers were long but not thick or skinny. But a smaller and slimmer hand gently covered his own, making him look over his mother's own delicate hand.

A woman's beauty could be just as deadly as a blade, his mother told him once.

Taking her hand in his, Raiu looked up at him mother with a warm smile. "It's nothing, Mom. Get some sleep. We still have some distance between us the Land of Waves.

And with that, he released her hand and settled back into his bed, not seeing the frown on his mother's face.

* * *

I stared at the back of my son's head with a frown, not believing him for a second. My son, being an annoyingly 5'9, was dressed in baggy black pants, and a dark navy blue high-necked sleeveless top. A kunai pouch was settled next to his bed, but normally tied around his thigh. With a dark blue cloth wrapped around his forehead, a metal plate was inscribed with Leaning back onto my hands, I continued to stare at him for a moment before I reached over to my pack and tugged out a scroll. Biting the pad of my thumb with a sharp canine, I made a few hand signs before placing my hand on the scroll. A soft poof later and a ratty looking book sat before me. Picking it up and flipping through the pages, I glanced over the odd script that the messily written down on the paper. It wasn't until I reach mid way through the book did I finally find it.

 _Never forget._

Running my finger along the messily scrawled kanji on the paper, it made me wonder why I had even written this as a kid. Had I come up with my own coding as a little kid? Flipping to next page, I read the words that little me had written there. Clarissa Reed…rebirth….Reborns… Kazou-sensei…changing fate.

I snorted in amusement before tossing the book to the side.

And I thought Raiu's imagination was bad.

* * *

Raiu watched the back of his mother's head as they moved through the forest, hopping from branch to branch. She was oddly quite, staring ahead into the forest. Landing onto a branched with a soft thump, the 18 year old stopped moving and Naegi stopped to look back. She landed on a higher branch and faced her son, her brow furrowed as her green eye narrowed with concern.

"Raiu?"

He looked up at her with a frown of his own. "Mother, where are we going?"

Her silence made the young shinobi tense, digging his nails into the tree he was leaning against. "Mother?"

She spoke up. "I'm not sure Raiu, but something is telling me to go way."

"That's not much of an answer."

"I know," she sighed. "But trust me, Raiu."

"But why?" he pressed, not realizing what boundaries he was pushing until Naegi hopped down onto the branch he stood on. He leaned back in surprise, staring down at his shorter mother whose narrowed gaze was pressed upon him.

"Do not question me, Raiu," she told him quietly. "Something is going to happen. I don't know what, or how I know, but something is drawing me in."

Raiu stared, his mismatched eyes wide as he took in his mother's words. "How? How do you know this?"

She shook her head. "I don't. Go find a suitable spot for camp tonight if you want, but I need to go. I'll be back."

Naegi turned and began to take to a leap forward before a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked back to meet her son's eyes.

"Do you promise?"

The words he said made her flinch slightly, flashes of regret and sorrow in her eyes but she nodded. Grabbing the back of his head, she brought it down to press her lips against his forehead.

"I swear," She whispered.

* * *

I moved quickly and quietly through the forest, the sound being my feet pushing off against the bark. Pausing on one branch, I squinted into the distance with my one eye. This is where I miss my other eye, cause it's so damn hard to see with only one eye.

What I saw made my heart nearly stop.

* * *

"Hey, hey, hey! You guys are too relaxed!" The masked henchmen jeered at the group, grinning at their enraged faces.

"Darn ninja! Killing out source of money!" Sneered the one behind him

"Now that it's come to this, there's not choice but to attack the whole town and take everything valuable!" The masked one laughed, the goons behind him joining in the laughter.

"Shoot, not good," hissed a tall silver haired man wearing a mask over the lower half of his face. His moss green vest was stained with dark blood and a long trail of blood emerged from his sleeve and into his fingerless glove.

A short whiskered blonde in an ugly orange suit whipped around to face the man. "Kakashi-sensei! Don't you have a jutsu to annihilate them all at once?" He asked in a panicked voice.

"That's impossible!" argued the silver haired man. "I've used too much charka!"

The masked goon pointed his chained weapon at the group on the bridge. "Here we go!" he shouted and the mob of henchman charged.

He moved quickly, appearing in front the crouched silver man and blonde who jumped back in surprise at the sudden appearance of the man in black. The mob skidded to halt at the sight of the new stranger, holding their weapons in defense. Behind the two shinobi stood a dark haired youth with dozens of little bloody wounds being supported by a panicky pink hair girl and a ragged old man. All three of them paled at the sight of the mysterious newcomer. The dark haired boy grimaced as he tried to pull out a kunai so he could help his comrades but a radiating pain made him groan in pain.

"Sauske!" The pink haired girl panicked, struggling to keep the boy on his feet.

"My apologies," the man said softly to the two, not showing his face. "But I couldn't help but noticed that you're in a bit of a tight spot."

Kakashi Hatake stared at the man, rather a young man, with wide eyes. That stance…

"Who are you?" The lead henchman shouted. "You with these bastards?"

The stranger raised his head, mismatched eyes burning and making a few of the goons flinch. "My name is Raiu Sarutobi. And you have made a very terrible mistake."

Staring at his back, the silver haired sensei could feel numbness trickling up his spine. _'Sarutobi? No, that's impossible….'_

"RAIU!"

A small slender figure, barely reaching the new man's collarbone, landed next to him on the bridge. Long black hair was tied into a high ponytail, brushing against her waist while wearing a red sleeveless top with baggy grey pants and black flats. Thick brown gloves covered her hands; one hand resting over a kunai pouch was tied around her upper right thigh.

"What the hell are you doing Raiu?" the newcomer hissed venomously at the man.

He didn't flinch at her anger. "They are attacking without any honor or respect to their enemies. They mocked that missing nin and his devotion to his partner. My apologies Mother, but I could not let that continue."

The older woman let an exasperated sigh. "Raiu…"

The little blonde in orange turned to look at his sensei, whose wide eyes were staring at the woman who stood confidentially beside the man. He spoke, his voice barely a whisper.

"…Naegi-sensei?"

* * *

 **TA-DA~!**

 **Love it? Hate it? Smother a Minato plushie while squealing with delight? Review please!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey friends! I'm glad a good chunk of you like the story! I know that a bunch of you are confused and all about why Naegi pretended to die and so on and I PROMISE IT WILL ALL BE EXPLAINED IN THIS CHAPTER!**

* * *

 **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO OWN MY OCS.**

* * *

It had been a real long time since I saw that nearly white blue chakra, the electric tang of lightning in the air. The three unfamiliar charkas standing behind us were…odd. One was a dangerous red, another being the pretty shade of teal, and the third was….orangeish black? What kind of charka color was that? Well, never mind that.

"You've grown up quite nicely, Kakashi," I said, my one eye not leaving the mob of henchmen in front of us. "I'm sure you have some questions but let's focus on the situation on hand, hm?"

Raiu, still watching the mob, took a step forward and withdrew a kunai until a odd whistling sounded through the air. An arrow landed with a loud thunk at the feet of the masked goon. Everyone's heads whipped around to stare behind us at the archer.

I raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Well, didn't see that coming."

A small boy was holding a crossbow in his hands, his dark eyes glaring under his helmet. But what everyone was staring at was the large mob of what I suspected to be villagers. Several of them were wearing helmets and carrying pick-axes, shovels, spears and hammers. I squinted. Were those pitchforks?

"Enemies who come any closer to the island…with the all the might of all the island's people…will not be allowed to live!" A man in the very front bellowed out and the crowd raised their weapons high, letting out cheers and roars.

"Inari!" The blonde shouted in delight, a grin stretched out across his face.

The little kid grinned and pumped his fist. "Heroes always arrive on the scene late!" He declared.

"Inari…you guys…" The old man whimpered, tears brimming in his eyes.

Raiu watched the scene quizzically. "Mother? What is happening?"

I sighed, crossing my arms and popping out my hip as I watched. "I have no idea," I said dryly, watching the blonde turn back around with his hands up to form signs and exclaimed that he was going to help too. My eyebrows rose as he summoned four Shadow Clones beside him. Wonder how he learned the Second Hokage's technique… With another sigh, I reached up and whacked my son's bicep, making him look down at me in surprise. I frowned up at him. "Well? You jumped in to help. Get going mister!"

"Yes, Mother." Raiu said dryly before performing the same signs before an army of Raius surrounded us.

Faces filled with terror, the henchmen nervously backed up a few times.

Raiu and his clones gave them sly smirks. "Are you ready?"

As soon as those words left his mouth, the mob quickly turned tail and ran towards a docked boat. Villagers hurried to the railing of the bridge watching as the remaining goons scrambled to climb on the quickly leaving boat. A loud " We've done it!" rose into the air and cheers of joy followed. Raiu dismissed his clones with a nod and faced me. Giving him a smile, I nodded at my son and opened my mouth…

…only to have what felt like a boulder slam into me and pinned me against one of the steel beams of the bridge. Groaning at the black spots that danced in my line of view, I managed to make out the burning glare of the Sharingan as the sharp edge of a kunai pressed against my throat.

"Mother!" Raiu shouted out in a panic the same time the three genin shouted "Kakashi-sensei!"

I gritted my teeth as the kunai dug in deeper. "Stand down, Raiu!" I hissed out, keeping my one eye focused on the enraged black eye that glared at me. Raiu froze in his dash towards me, giving me a helpless stare.

"Who the hell are you?" Kakashi growled lowly in his throat.

Grunting at the pressure of his forearm against my chest, I growled back, "You know who the hell I am, Kakashi!"

The kunai pressed in deeper, this time cutting into my skin. "Lies," he hissed. "Naegi Sarutobi died years ago!"

"The body was brunt to a crisp, leaving no physical feature for anyone to identify!" I shot back. "You want more proof?! When you turned 10 on September 15th, I gave you a dog summoning scroll that your father wanted to give you when you were older."

There was flash of pain in his dark eye before they hardened again. "I don't believe you."

Frustration bubbled up inside of me. This what I wanted to avoid. Running into any Leaf shinobi that could possibly know me and deliver the word that I was alive. Now, Kakashi, my darling like Kashi, had me at knifepoint and did not believe it was me. And now I had no choice. I stared up at him with a steady gaze. "Then take me back to the village and have a Yamanaka interrogate me."

He was uneasy; inwardly debating the options I presented him. He glanced over his shoulder at the tense Raiu; his narrowed gaze promising a beating if Kakashi made me bleed.

"Don't worry," I said quietly. "He won't try anything. I promise."

"….He called you mother," Kakashi said lowly.

"Because he's my son," I replied softly.

The tense was tight, everyone's eyes focused on Kakashi and me. My grown godson stared at me for a few more seconds before slowly pulling away.

"On your knees, both of you." He said gruffly.

Giving Raiu a stern look, I knelt down and the silver haired shinobi quickly tied my hands behind my back before walking over to Raiu and did the same. I watched silently as Kakashi grabbed the back of Raiu's shirt and walked him over and had him sit down next to me. I ignored the stares of the young genin that slowly approached us with wary and suspicious eyes as their sensei wandered over to the still form of the former Kirigakure ninja. They exchanged a few words before Kakashi picked up the limp form of the man and carried him over to the still form of a young man who bore a peaceful look on his face.

I sighed softly as snow softly began to fall.

Looks like I'm going home.

* * *

I glared down at the blonde brat who was scowling up at me. "What kid?"

"How'd you know all that stuff about Kakashi-sensei, old lady?" He demanded, shoving his finger into my face. Raiu, standing next to me, raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Who are you calling an old lady, shrimp?" I snapped, using what little height I had over the boy to hover over him with a venomous glare.

"Naruto!" Kakashi said sharply. "Leave her alone."

Making a face at me, Naruto wandered back over to his sensei and teammates as they stood before the old man, the kid, and a woman whom I assumed was the kid's mother.

"You got old," the gravelly voice growled up at me.

Peering down, I frowned at the pug. "And you haven't gotten any bigger, Pakun. Tell me, are your paws as soft as ever?"

The small dog with the Konoha headband and blue vest with the heno-heno-moheji seal snorted before tilting his head up at me, a doggie eyebrow raised. "So want to tell me why Boss has you and the kid tied up?"

"I am not a kid," Raiu grumbled beside me as he watched Kakashi and his students speak to the small family.

Ignoring my son's grumbled, I told the pug, and "Your boss is in an extreme case of denial, which is completely understandable given the fact that I'm alive."

Bisuke gave me a rather a stern glare. "Boss wasn't the same after he learned of your death." The small brown dog told me. "A lot of people were different."

I sighed, sending the man a sad look. "I know."

Bull let a low grunt before rubbing his massive head against my shoulder, nearly knocking me off my feet. I gave the giant beast a warm smile before I looked up at the kids that stood with Kakashi. My eyes focused on the red and white fan on the back of the dark haired boy's shirt, my lips pursed. I had heard of the entre Uchiha Clan being slaughtered by the Clan head's oldest son, leaving the younger brother as the only survivor. I remember seeing the face of the boy in my bingo book. Itachi Uchiha. He was the same age as Raiu, but I'd never seen such strong stress lines under his eyes on someone at his age.

"Hey, old lady!" The blonde, or Naruto, scurried towards me and pointed at me with a scowl. "Don't you try anything because if you do, I'll stop you because I'm going to be Hokage! Believe it!"

Raiu and I stared down at him before Raiu asked, "What does being Hokage have to do with anything?"

Naruto opened his mouth, only to have the brooding Uchiha snap at him.

"Shut up Naruto. Stop talking to the prisoners," The boy sneered at the blonde as he and other approached, Kakashi dismissing his ninken with a wave. "Besides, they don't care about you being Hokage."

I groaned, making all heads turn towards me. "Yup, there's the Uchiha's 'all –holier-than –thou' attitude. Can't say I missed it though."

"What do you know about the Uchihas?" The kid snapped, his dark eyes glaring at me.

I stared back without flinching. "I'm from the Leaf, kid. I went to _school_ with Fugaku Uchiha for Kami's sake."

At my words, the boy's eyes widened and he stared at me in shock with a gaping mouth. But the pink haired girl quickly stepped in.

"So you're a traitor!" She declared. "You ran from the Leaf, like Zabuza did from the Mist!"

"I'm no traitor, kid!" I snarled, taking a threatening step forward. She jumped back with fear on her face. "My reasons for leaving the village were my own. But I never would think about betraying the Leaf."

"Then I would love to hear on how one moment you're dead and then the next, you're alive with a son." Kakashi said icily.

I gave in a stern look. "And it's a long complicated story Kakashi. Which I will explain when we return to the village." I told him patiently. "Of course, my return might not be that celebrated," I grumbled, scenarios running through my head. "If Tsume is still around, then she'll welcome me back with a fist to my face. Or worse," I groaned loudly.

"Let's go," Kakashi ordered, giving me a slight push.

Giving him a sharp look over my shoulder, I huffed and began to walk forward, Raiu following closely with the Pinkie and Sourpuss next to us with Kakashi and Naruto bringing up rear. As we began our trek back to the village, I stared up ahead with a frown on my face. Kakashi hadn't taken our belongings, meaning the little odd book I had from childhood was still safe with me. But what worried me was seeing people that I had such close bonds with in the past, only to break those bonds by faking my death.

Dad, Mom, Asuka, Asuma, Minato, the Shika-In-Cho trio, Kushina, Tsume, the Hyuga twins….

And my students….Kakashi had taken my return so painfully and angrily, that I can't even imagine how Gai and others would react. As we walked across the finished bridge, I listened to the blonde (Naruto) getting ramen and telling someone named Konohamaru (what a stupid name) about the mission, Pinkie (Sakura) trying to get Sourpuss (Sauske, who's name made my ears prick up) to go get lunch, leading Sakura to beat up the blonde. Good grief. You leave for 18 years and this is what happens.

Closing my eyes, I silently asked the past Hokages, Kazou-sensei, and Sakumo-sensei for strength as I returned home with my son, and a heavy heart.

* * *

Several hours later, I stared at the looming gates of Konoha and fear slowly began to grip my heart. I could make out the four giant heads of the Hokages, the fourth head looking oddly familiar. As we closer to gates, my steps began to slow to where I stopped, my eyes not leaving the entrance. Kakashi stopped and stared me, his eye narrowed as Raiu and the genin paused to look at us.

"What?" Kakashi asked bluntly.

With my gaze never leaving the gates, I asked the jonin, "Please remove my bindings. I won't run or anything but I would like to return with some dignity."

The genin immediately opened their mouths to protest, but the hand that Kakashi held up made them fall silent. He watched me coolly for a few minutes before stepping forward, flipping out a kunai and slicing through my bonds. As my ropes fell to the ground, Kakashi walked over to Raiu and freed him from his own bindings.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto said in disbelief, his eyes wide.

The man turned his head to meet my eye. "Don't make me regret this," he said lowly.

Rubbing my fists, I nodded before looking over at Raiu before staring up at the gates. Taking in a deep breath, I exhaled heavily and grumbled,

"Let's get this over with."

* * *

Kotetsu Hagne let out a loud yawn; blinking sleepily in the mid-sun as he and his partner Izumo Kamizuki sat at the check in stall. Looking lazily out to the outside of the gate, he raised an eyebrow at the sight of the people approaching the gates. The Copy Cat Ninja, The Last Uchiha, The Jinchuuriki and a pink haired kunoichi. But his gaze fell to the two people walking beside them. He frowned, puzzled.

"Yo Izumo."

"Hm?"

Kotetsu nodded towards to the two strangers. "Do you know those two?"

The brown haired man squinted for a better look. "Don't think so…though the woman looks familiar."

She was rather tiny compared to her companions; her waist long black hair braided back with bangs hiding her eyes. Her clothing looked ratted and worn and in desperate in need of a wash. Her tall companion was much younger, but easily 2 heads taller than her. His black hair was spiking out everywhere, except one long chuck of hair with a large teal bead that hung down the left side of his face. His eyes were heterochromia, one being blue and the other green, which was rarely seen in the village. Like his lady friend, he was dressed in worn and ragged clothing but the forehead protector he was wearing was what drew attention.

The image consisted of what looked like three moons connecting and three points meeting in the middle. Half hidden by the crescent shapes were 3 circles in the form of a triangle.

The two men watched curiously as the five passed them and headed down the street, going towards the Hokage Tower most likely.

"Was that…"

"A Sarutobi?"

* * *

Shikaku Nara lazily stared off into the distance as Choza Akimichi hovered over a new snack stall, eagerly looking over the treats as Inoichi Yamanaka watched with a smile.

"Yo Shikaku! Don't you want something?" Choza asked, giving the Shadow Master a beaming smile as he picked out a few bags of chips after handing Inoichi some kind of pastry.

The man in question shook his hand, stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets, slouching inwardly. "Nah, I gotta leave soon to head home for dinner."

Inoichi tilted his head curiously at his friend. "Your turn for dinner tonight?"

The light haired blonde earned an annoyed grumble as Shikaku rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. Even though we all know I suck at it."

His comment made his two friends and partners laugh as the trio walked down the street. Reaching up, Shikaku rubbed his two scars, grimacing the dub ache the two old wounds emitted. A pair of unfortunate reminders of the last war that made his mind wander into the past, a place that he really did not to go. It had taken Shikaku some time to force the memories of her out of his mind before he accepted the arranged marriage his parents made. Yoshino had been an all right wife, taking care of the roles of the Lady of the Nara Clan and even giving Shikaku a son. It wasn't until the Kyuubi was released and nearly destroyed the village, did grief strike Shikaku once more. Yoshino had died protecting their infant son as the village crumbled around them, leaving the Clan without a Lady, a son without a mother, and a man without a wife. While Yoshino was a model wife for a Clan Head, Shikaku knew that the one he wanted to be his was forever out of his reach. And he knew he wasn't the only one. Hizashi Hyuga, had married and had a son, whom he named Neji, which raised a few eyebrows at the similarities of the boy's name to hers. Perhaps the younger twin was hoping that the fiery yet gentle spirit of Naegi Sarutobi would aid his son into becoming an amazing shinboi.

Chewing the inside of his cheek, the Nara looked up and felt his heart stutter to a stop.

A short figure with long black hair moved across his view, the wind lifting her hair to show a side of her face. A vibrant green eye with a beauty mark underneath was staring straight ahead, not even turning to glance over at him. He blinked once and she vanished. Feeling panic rise up in him, Shikaku shot down the street, following the direction in which she had gone. Ignoring the surprised voices of Inoichi and Choza, Shikaku turned the corner and looked around rapidly, eyes darting back and forth. No…..

She wasn't there…..

She was gone…..

No, she was never there. He was just imagining things. He gave himself a mental slap as Inoichi and Choza arrived at his side, asking what was wrong.

"Nothing," he told them, turning away and stalking down the street with his hands back into his pockets again. "It was nothing."

* * *

Tsume watched with a frown at her youngest's attempts of mastering a Clan technique. Kuromaru sat her feet with a bored stare on his face as he watched the young heir and the pup. Hana was busy at the clinic, keeping an eye on a female that was close to giving birth to pups. The large wolf settled down with a sigh, dropping his head on his crossed paws. A strong wind blew by, ruffling the beast's fur but a odd scent made him raise his head. Sitting back up, Kuromaru turned his head in the direction of the wind and gave a few sniffs.

There….

"Tsume."

The brunette blinked and looked down at her partner, curiously. "What's up?"

"Do you smell that?"

Turning her head, the woman gave the air with a sniff, her eyes closed. She could smell her son and his partner, the restaurants cooking nearby, flowers that were recently bloomed and-

Her eyes snapped open.

"Is that….?"

* * *

I could feel my heart dropping further into my stomach as we walked up the steps of the Hokage Tower with Kakashi and Raiu behind her. As we walked through the village, I could feel the stares on me but thankfully, no one seemed to recognize me. Kakashi had shooed his students away with a wave of a hand, telling them that he would come up with a detail report for the Hokage. Speaking of the Hokage….

I could barely make out the faint glow of the Hokage in his office but the coloring made me pause. I know that charka…..but why was he….? I sped up at little, getting off the stairs and striding down a hallway I knew so well. Not paying attention to any of my surroundings, I headed for the one door, taking my charka and suppressing it being nearly non-existent. I was only a few feet away from the door when a firm grabbed my shoulder. Turning, I looked up at Kakashi who said firmly, "I'll be going first."

I looked up at him with slight in my eyes but he brushed past and knocked on the door. My heart sudden dropped even harder at the deep gravely voice answered from the other side of the door with a "Come in."

Kakashi opened the door but he didn't enter, his tall form hiding my smaller one as Raiu stood back against the wall, out of the Hokage's sight.

"Ah Kakashi, welcome back. I take it the Naruto and others returned unharmed?"

Closing my eyes, I bit my lip hard as I listened to the Hokage.

Kakashi nodded. "Yes, but we had an unexpected…encounter."

"Oh?"

The young nin shift his weight for a brief second, almost nervous before stepping to the side, revealing me to the old man sitting at the desk. He had gotten so much older; his once full and handsome face was now thin and lined with wrinkles. He may have gotten older but his eyes were still looked as sharp as ever. And his eyes widen as the pen in his hand dropped onto the desk as I stepped into the office, my one eye meeting his.

I gave him a weak smile. "Hey, Dad. Long time no see."

Hiruzen Sarutobi stood up from his chair, and within seconds four bodies slammed into me, pinning to me floor.

I yelped in pain, my face pushed into the floor forcefully. I heard a grunt from behind me, meaning some ANBU must of pinned Raiu down while some others held me down. Hearing soft footsteps, I tried to turn my head to see out of my good eye but the ANBU held me down firmly.

"What is meaning of this Kakashi?" Dad said coldly as I heard his voice over my head.

"I wish I knew, Hokage-sama," Kakashi replied, equally cold. "But she revealed some evidence that only Naegi-sensei could know."

"And who is he?" Dad asked, most likely looking at Raiu who was squirming under the grasp of the ANBU.

"According to her? Her son, Raiu."

Unable to see, I missed Dad casting a glance over at me with a frown, his eyes narrowed. He turned back to Kakashi. "Go retrieve Inoichi Yamanaka at once. Tell him to meet us at T&I headquarters. _Immediately_."

Nodding, Kakashi vanished in a poof of smoke. Staring at the spot where the once ANBU nin stood, Hiruzen turned to look down at the woman who bore a remarkable resemblance to his dead daughter.

"I'm sure you have quite a tale to us, miss," he told her, a fierce trickle of protectiveness for his daughter as one of the ANBU delivered a punch her face and knocking her out. The dark haired youth let out a cry of outrage at the sight and being to struggling, only to have one of the ANBU holding him down to knock him out.

* * *

' _Well that could have gone better.'_

Shut up.

' _Uh, hello? This is your conscious speaking. You can't really shut me up.'_

Try me. I've been doing it for a past 5 years.

 ***** _Sigh_ _ *****_ _'This could have been avoided if you just followed the book.'_

The book didn't make any sense to begin with. Why should I bother following something I wrote back when I was 3?

' _Technically, you were 5. And_ _we_ _wrote it, by the way.'_

Whatever.

' _Uh, no! No "whatever". Damn it, woman! I practically wrote an instruction manual on how not to screw the future up! And you didn't listen! Now look where we are. In the basement of the T &I Headquarters. Nice job, girlie.'_

I am not a 'girlie'.

' _And I am not the voice of our past life Clarissa Reese, who remembered how she died, how the Naruto storyline goes, and wrote everything down in case she lost her memory like Kazou-sensei did! And lo and behold, I forgot and became you. Fabulous_.'

Was I always so irritable?

' _Especially to idiots who don't read the damn book like their suppose too. Looks like its time to start talking by the way. Inoichi is here.'_

Should I be concerned about him finding any memories of us writing the book? Or finding you?

' _How should I know? After all, I'm just your conscious. Now wake up.'_

Opening my eye turned out to harder than I thought, the lid feeling like lead. And the bright light that hovered high over my head was not helping. I was tied to a metal chair, my hands, feet and chest bound so I couldn't move. Squinting, I made out two tall figures that stood over me. One in particular, was extremely familiar, even if he had just gotten older.

"Hello, Inoichi," I said hoarsely. "It's been quite some time."

The handsome blonde narrowed his gaze at me. "Why?"

I blinked. "Huh?"

He leaned in closer, not too close. "Why Naegi Sarutobi?"

The other man snorted. "Frankly you were the worst pick to impersonate her. She had both her eyes when she died."

Rolling my eye, I gave the man an annoyed scowl. "The body was badly damaged by explosion tags. There were no actual physical features to make out."

' _Aaand you fucked up. Again.'_

A large hand suddenly wrapped around my throat, squeezing tightly. "And how," the other man growled dangerously. "Would you know that?"

I squeaked under the pressure around my neck, my pulse fluttering wildly under his touch. He leaned in, his scarred face leaning in close with his dark eye burning into mine. "Were you part of her death?" He hissed. Opening my mouth, I rasped out past the pressure with,

"No, you idiot!...F-Fake body!...I….I am…..am Naegi!"

"Ibiki!" Inoichi ordered sharply. "Let her go."

Ibiki? This scarred hulk was little, slightly tubby Ibiki?! Seriously?"

Ibiki, now a giant bear, turned to glare at Inoichi. "I'm commanding officer **here** , Inoichi."

The blonde glared back. "And the Hokage asked me to read her memories, Ibiki. We need her alive for me to do that."

Gee, thanks.

Ibiki stared at the firm Inoichi for a brief moment, before harshly releasing his grip on my throat with a snarl. The moment his hand left my neck, I eagerly gasped in clean air, my chest straining against the bonds that pinned me to the chair. As I greedily took in fresh air, Inoichi approached me with one hand out. Placing his palm on my forehead closed his eyes and murmured something.

Then darkness.

And then, there were images appearing in my mind against my will. I could feel Inoichi there, his lovely teal eyes watching carefully my memories were being dragged out against my will.

… _I was playing hide and seek with my new friends at my 4_ _th_ _birthday party…_

… _The clan heirs and I were entering the Academy and meeting Kazou-sensei for the first time…_

… _Sakumo-sensei smiling warmly down at me as we walked through the village…_

… _Minato's smile and kind smile directed towards me…_

… _Learning of my engagement of Nawaki…_

… _News of Nawaki's death…_

… _When I was kidnapped…_

… _Being on Team Sakumo with Tsume and Hizashi…_

… _Becoming Chunin…_

… _My baby brothers and Kakashi being born…_

… _Minato and I becoming a couple…_

… _Taking a genin team…_

… _Discovering my pregnancy and feeling fear for the unborn child…_

I could feel Inoichi's shock as he watched, his grip on me becoming almost weak before tensing up again.

… _I approached Orochimaru, my mouth moving but no words coming out…_

… _He handed me a scroll before I left for the mission…_

… _The enemy nin attacking us…._

… _I opened the scroll and dragged the fake body out in time to see the exploding tags coming to my face…_

… _Crawling away from the bloody battle with one eye missing while cradling the small bump that was safety tucked inside of my womb…_

… _Giving birth to a dark haired infant in a shack with a bunch of strangers…_

… _Moving from place to place with my growing son, looking for someplace safe…_

… _Watching my son jump in front of Kakashi and Naruto in the Land of Waves…_

… _Retuning to my home…._

… _Seeing my father after 18 years…._

He stopped. I felt Inoichi withdraw from my mind and he slowly lifted his hand off my head. Opening my eye, I looked up at the man while Ibiki stared at the older man in shocked, calling out his name. "Inoichi?"

Teal eyes stared down at me, tearing trailing down his face.

"Naegi…" He choked. "It's you. Dear Kami…it's really you." He fell to his knees, making others in the room reel back in shock, reaching out to cup my cheeks in his large hands. "You're alive."

I gave him a weak and teary smile. "I'm home, Inoichi."

* * *

Inoichi quickly freed me from my cuffs and lifted me out of the chair to wrap his arms around me tightly. Slipping my arms around his middle to return the hug, I smiled into his dark grey uniform as his hand gently combed through my dark hair. "You're alive," he marveled, keeping me pressed against him. " _You're alive_."

I looked up at him with a smile. "You've said that three times already, Ino."

The blonde laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's been 18 years. Give me a break."

"Sensei…"

Turning my head, I looked at Ibiki to see the odd look on his face. "Naegi-sensei… I'm-"

"It's ok, Ibiki," I said gently, prying myself free from Inoichi's grasp to walk over to him. Looking up at him, I smiled warmly. "You are a nin of Konoha. If you weren't doing your job then I sure as hell didn't teach you anything."

"Naegi…" A voice croaked out and I closed my eyes, feeling tears gather in my good. Turning, I was met with the sight of my father, standing alone behind me. I could hear the soft retreating footsteps of others, leaving the two of us alone in the room.

"Naegi." Dad called out again, his tone almost desperate.

I gave him a teary smile and that made him move. Warm and familiar arms held her securely against him as they both fell to our knees. Dad's Hokage hat had fallen to the ground at some point but he made not move to retrieve it. Pressing kisses to her face and hair, the father cradled the child he thought he had lost. I full blown out sobbing now, chanting 'I'm sorry, I'm so sorry' to him, silently begging for his forgiveness. Here I was, a woman of 36 and a jonin, crying in her father's arms like a child.

All Dad asked was, "Why?"

I sniffled, trying to rub the tears from my face. "To protect him," I croaked.

"…The boy. The dark haired one that was with you." Dad realized.

I nodded. "Your grandson, Raiu," I laughed weakly. "Surprise, Grandpa."

"He's the child you had with Minato. Isn't he?" The Hokage questioned softly.

"Mmhm. I remember the attempted kidnappings and attacks that were specially aimed for me," I told him. I shook my head. "The daughter of the Hokage, pregnant with the Yellow Flash's child? I couldn't bare it if any happened to Raiu."

The flash of hurt that went across Dad's face made me flinch. "And why didn't you tell us?" He asked, frowning. "Didn't you trust us enough to protect you and the baby?"

Shaking my head hard, I frowned up at him. "No matter how many ANBU and shinobi you could assign to protect me, I would still be in danger and I wouldn't be able to protect myself, let alone the baby."

"So you ran…Do you realize what your action did to us? To your friends? To Minato?" Dad demanded, grabbing my shoulder to look into my eye. I nodded, quietly.

"I know," I whispered. "I know…"

Dad huffed and I caught the irritation that was dancing around his charka. "I don't think you do, Naegi. But," his eyes softened. "You, and your son, are home. And that is what matters…"

As he wrapped me up into his arms again, I buried my face against his robes, pushing the guilt inside me away for lying to my father. He didn't need to know why I really left the village at the moment.

* * *

 **Whew! 17 pages! How's that for a chapter?! I hope you liked it! Thank you for all the awesome reviews, following and putting my story in your favorites!**

 **Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone!**

 **First of I would like to greatly apologize since I haven't been keeping my promise on updating everyday but my life has been very rocky at the moment and that is far more important than my stories. I have been extremely busy with work and school, and because I know many of you know how that feels, I thank you for your patience. However, there have been some reviews that I found rude and inconsiderate** **. You know who you are.**

 **Readers, I love it when people review my stories but reviews such as these will not be appreciated. You are wasting both my time and yours by writing such crude, immature and rude reviews. Because a number of you have complained that my story follows the storyline, I have added to the summary of the story that my story will follow the storyline. Now you will not waste your time reading my story that apparently doesn't suit your tastes.**

* * *

 _ **I**_ _ **DO NOT**_ _ **OWN NARUTO. I**_ _ **DO**_ _ **OWN MY OCS.**_

* * *

Dad pulled back from the embrace, taking a step back to appraise me after being 'dead' for 18 years. I was still short, my hips being a little wider after carrying Raiu, but Dad focused in on my missing eye.

"How did this happen?" He asked, gently touching the skin under the patch. The end of my scar just barely peeked out from under the pad.

I grimaced, reaching up to touch the patch. "Exploding tag. I was trying to pull out the fake body that Orochimaru (I pretended to ignore the narrowing the eyes from Dad) and a kunai with the tag was misdirected. But, Raiu and I got away, that's what mattered."

Dad nodded in understanding. I could see his thoughts spinning around behind his dark eyes but there were some questions I wanted answered.

' _The book~! The book has the answers~'_

Shut up.

My father stroked his beard. "So my grandson's name is Raiu, hm?" His dark eyes glimmered in amusement. "Interesting name."

I snorted. "That's rich coming from you. Naegi? Seriously?"

It made him let out of those deep chuckles I remember back when times were happier. But everything was different now and I had questions.

"So why are there four heads on the Hokage Mountain? You're still wearing that hat and coat." I asked, leaning my head around him to look at the kanji sown into the back. My question made him bit down on his pipe, chewing on the stem almost nervously.

Turning, Dad began to walk to the door, holding his pipe in his hand. "Follow me, Naegi."

Puzzled, I followed my father out the door and through the hallways of numerous sound proof doors. Following him, I ignored the numerous stares and soft whisper from the shinobi we passed. Sadly, 'traitor' was mixed in with those whispers and I felt the sting of shame when those words reached my ears. It was for Raiu; it was for my baby that Minato had given me. I had to protect the little one inside of me, and I knew that if I didn't run, Raiu could have been in Danzo's hands. The mere thought of the scumbag almost made my hackles rise, the picture of the man with his slimly hands on my baby. But Naruto…

"Here we are," Dad hummed, walking up the steps towards a door and opening it. Trailing after him, I looked around in surprise.

"Wait, this is the Hokage Tower. When was that passageway installed?"

Dad looked behind with a secretive smile and winked. "Naegi, you should know by now that a good shinobi never reveals his secrets," he said before walking into his office. As I walked through the doorway, I could feel the eyes of ANBU hiding outside the office watching me with suspicion and caution. Dad stood in front of his desk, hands clasped behind his back as he watched with steady eyes. Giving him a puzzle look, I gave him a questioning stare only to have him point above my head.

Turning, I meet the familiar eyes of the past Hokages. The gentle brown of Hashirama, the stern red of Tobirama, the wise grey of my father and the….

"Oh god." I whispered, feeling the blood drain from my face.

Dad lowered his head silently, the brim of his hat covering his face.

"When?" I asked, my eyes never leaving the calm blue eyes of Minato. He looked older than I remember in the photo, his wild blonde hair spiking high in the air.

"A few years after you…left," Dad said quietly. "Shortly before then…"

"Before?"

He left out a heavy sigh before saying, "He married Kushina Uzumaki."

I went silent as his words registered through my head. So the book was right, or rather, I was right. Minato had married Kushina and that resulted in the little blonde genin that enjoyed proclaiming his goal of becoming Hokage. Like his mother. Like his father.

"Naruto Uzumaki," I stated, making Dad look up in surprise. I gave a hollow laugh. "Don't take me for a fool, Dad. I knew Minato and Kushina better than anyone and anyone with a brain could see the resemblance between Minato and Naruto. Not to mention how much he is like Kushina."

"I know," Dad sighed, taking off his hat and walking around his desk to sit in his chair. Steepling his fingers, he watched me carefully. "But I'm afraid that there is more to tell you."

I came closer and listened. As my father explained what happened 12 years ago in October, my heart sunk faster and faster. Closing my eyes, I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. Mom…Minato….Kushina…

' _I'm sorry.'_

Shut up…

Shut….shut up dammit.

Tears began to fall from my eye as numbness began to spread throughout me.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm sorry…"

Dad closed his eyes for brief moment. "I know. But it is in the past and we cannot change it now. You and your child are here in one piece and that is what matters." He opened his eyes, his gaze soft. "I am just glad to have my little leaf home again."

I gave my father a smile in return but the sound of the door opening behind me made us look behind me in surprise.

"So it is true."

I felt a low growl coming up from my throat as the sight of the three elderly council members. It made had been 16 years but they haven't changed at all.

"Hello Danzo-sama, Homura-sama, Koharu-sama." I said coolly, my eye narrowed. "You look well."

"And you look remarkably alive, Naegi-san," Koharu said stiffly. "I see that the reports of your death have been exaggerated."

"Hn."

"That young companion of yours, I'm assuming that he is the child you were pregnant with from 16 years ago?" Homura stated, not really beating around the bush.

I crossed my arms. "Why do you ask?"

"You were supposedly pregnant by the Fourth Hokage and a child from such strong lines would most likely prove to be a extremely talented shinobi." Danzo said in the matter of fact tone.

I sneered at the three. "And what makes you think that I would allow you three to corrupt my son to do your dirty work?"

Danzo tilted his head, doing that stupid eye squinting thing. "Surely you would want your son to do his duty to protect his village?"

"Raiu is not even a shinobi of the Leaf yet," I stated coldly. "I was going to ask Lord Hokage to put him in a genin team."

"So you plan to place him in the Chunin exams?" Himura asked.

I looked over at Dad who frowned at his old teammate's suggestion. "The Chunin Exams are this year?"

He nodded. "We have yet to select the genin teams for participate this year. Shinobi from various villages will be coming here to take part in the exams."

"Will Raiu be able to take part?" I asked hopefully.

The Hokage stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I think I can pull some strings. After all, he is my grandson." He said with a slight smile.

I smiled with relief before asking quickly, "Speaking of which, can I go see my son?"

Dad nodded. "He's in one of the holding cells in the T&I headquarters. Sparrow." Dad said sharply.

A small ANBU appeared before Dad's desk, kneeling with his head bowed. "Yes, Lord Hokage?"

"Take my daughter to my grandson in the holding cells. He is to be released immediately." Dad ordered.

Sparrow nodded and stood to face me. He bowed slightly. "Please follow me, Sarutobi-sama."

Nodding, I followed the ANBU while passing the Council members with slight nod before hurrying down back the passageway I came through earlier. I could feel a slight hint of anxiety for my son, knowing that he wouldn't last long in the T&I rooms. For some reason, Raiu had a thing against closed up spaces. He liked to be able to see the sky no matter where we were. I could never figure it out as to why he liked the open air so much but when we were inside, rain or shine, he was near a window or a door. We soon made it to one of the many doors of the headquarters, one of the ANBU standing outside of the door. At the sight of the two of us, the ANBU quickly unlocked the door and stepped to the side. Strolling past him and into the small room, I let out of a sigh of relief at the sight of my son pacing nervously back and forth. He looked over at me, his green eye bruised and swollen but in one piece. Raiu hurried over to me, concern in his eyes but I quickly enveloped him into a hug.

"It's all right, Raiu," I told him softly. "Everything was straightened out."

He let out a slight shuddering sigh. "Good."

Pulling back, I smiled up at his face and fondly brushed his bangs away from his face. "Shall we get out of here?"

At his nod, I wrapped my arm around his shoulders and led him out the cell with Sparrow waiting for us. With a nod, Sparrow led us back to the Tower, stepping to the side to let us walk into the office.

I just did not expect to have a fist slam into my face.

* * *

(Raiu's POV)

My eyes stared in shock as a fist came into a contact with my mother's cheek, sending her to the floor with a bang. Her hand flew up to her face, cupping her clearly broken nose as she stared up at her attacker with shock in her eye.

A fierce looking woman with short and spikey brown hair was angrily glaring down at Mother with her slitted dark eyes. Her painted red lips were pulled back into a snarl, the red tattoos on her cheeks stretching across her cheeks. She was dressed similarly like the one shinobi Mother called Kakashi, wearing black instead of blue. Behind her stood a number of adult shinobi, all various in looks and uniform, staring at his mother with either shock or anger.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, you bitch," the strange woman snarled down at Mother, holding her bloodied fist up. "And it better be good."

"Hello Tsume," Mom said, her voice muffled. "Good to see your right hook hasn't changed after all these years."

"Don't you dare change the subject!" Tsume growled, her glare becoming more venomous by the second. "Do you even know how we took your 'death'? We thought you were gone. Forever! Did you even consider how we would feel? Start talking!"

"Tsume."

I looked from my mother to the gravely voice's owner. Heads turned to face an elderly man at the desk, his old grey eyes watching with a sharp glint. "Enough Tsume."

This was him. The Third Hokage. My grandfather. I wasn't sure how I felt towards the man, seeing how he treated my mother return to her home village. It was understandable but he was the reason why both my mom and I sported a black eye and a bruised cheek.

The woman turned towards him with anger in her face. "But-!"

My grandfather gave her a stern look and she fell silent. Kneeling, I helped Mom stand back up, pulling her bloodied hand away and inspected her nose.

"Broken?" She asked me and I nodded. "Fix it for me, will you?"

Taking a firm grasp on her nose, I gave it a sharp yank and a loud crack sounded while Mom yelped. Grimacing, she poked her repair nose with a frown before giving me a slight smile. "Thanks kiddo."

"Mm." I hummed before looking back at the group who now were watching us with looks of realization.

The blonde man from before, the one with the red hatori, stepped forward and tugged Tsume back. "Give her minute to explain Tsume." He said firmly but gently. His teal eyes looked up and met mine. "It was for a good reason."

His words made Tsume blink her eyes and look over at me in slight surprise. I noticed her nostrils slightly flare up and take a sniff of the air before her eyes widened. What the hell was she doing?

"Now then," My grandfather said, standing up from his chair. "I'm sure you have questions but I would like to take Naegi and my grandson home."

"But-"

"Come on, Tsume," The blonde said, lightly tugging her along side him. Mom grabbed my elbow and pulled me off the side, pushing me to stand behind her. Rather pointless as I did stand a head taller than her. The crowd filed out with the blonde and Tsume lead but one man stay behind for brief moment. The two scars on his face were the first things I noticed about him, but the next was the impassive stare he was giving Mom. His narrowed eyes were dark with his black hair was pulled back into a high spiky ponytail. I was curious to see a pair of small hoop earrings in his ears. His hands were stiffed into his pockets and his shoulders were slouched under a tattered jacket made out of some animal skin. Glancing down at Mom, I was surprised to see a pained look on her face as she looked up at the tall man. He said nothing as he and Mom gazed at each other before he closed his eyes and stalked out the door. Watching him leave, I looked down again to give Mom a curious look but she refused to look at me and closed her eye silently.

The moment the door closed with a soft click, my grandfather let out a heavy sigh before giving us both a tired smile. "Well now, I suppose introductions are in order. Hello Raiu, my name is Hiruzen Sarutobi, your mother's father."

I blinked before quickly giving a slight bow. "Ah, yes. Mom has told me about you. It's a honor to meet you, Grandfather."

He smiled warmly. "The honor's mine. I have wanted to meet my first-born grandson for quite some time. Now, I'd said that its time for us to head home for the day."

"Home?" Mom parroted in surprise.

He gave her a bemused look. "Of course. Don't you want to see your family?"

Mom moved her mouth silently in surprise before clamming up and giving him a silent nod. With a warm smile, Grandfather left the office with us silently following him. He began to lead us through the village and while I watched in fascination, Mom held a slight grimace on her face as the passing villagers turned their heads to stare. Touching her elbow, my mismatched eyes meet my mother's one. "Are you alright?"

She patted my hand lightly. "I am. Just…remembering."

She seemed to be 'remembering' while we moved throughout the village and towards large compound with an emblem etched overhead the gate. Mom stopped moving, her eyes focused on the gates. Grandfather and I paused with her as she stared at the gate with sweat at her temples.

"Mom?"

Exhaling heavily, she gave me a weak grin. "I'm ok. I-"

"I GOT YOU OLD MAN!"

A large cloud of smoke surrounded us, making all three of cough violently. I heard a sharp whizzing noise and instincts that were drilled into me as child kicked in. Yanking out a kunai, I flung it into the direction but a loud clang and yelp sounded. Coughing, the smoke faded out and all three of us stared in amazement. A tall dark haired man with a neatly trimmed beard stood over a coughing small boy, a jagged curved weapon in his hand. He was wearing the standard Konoha uniform but was wearing a sash with the kanji for fire around his waist. A pair of bangles hung around his wrists as he reached out to pluck the light cigarette out of his smiling mouth.

"Sorry about that, old man," The olived skinned man grinned, his dark eyes glimmering with amusement. "Konohamaru told me that he had come up with a new attack and I had to see how it went. Speaking of which, someone is a little trigger happy-"

"Asuma."

The man blinked in surprise and squinted at Mom, who stared at him with a wide eye. His own eyes widened dramatically and his knife hit the ground with a clatter as he took a staggered step back. "Onee-san?" He choked out, his voice trembling.

Mom gave him a sad smile. "Hey, half pint. Long tim-"

But she was cut off as the man engulfed her into a bear hug, his grip tight as he cradled her small form to his large one. He was muttering something into her ear, his voice sounding thick with emotion. She had wrapped her arms around him just as tight, saying nothing as the two embraced. The boy, Konohamaru, stared at the two with bewilderment as Grandfather and I looked on.

As I looked over at Grandfather, I was slightly surprised to see wetness in his eyes as he watched Mother and the man embraced. He spoke then, his voice echoing in the silent space.

"Welcome home Naegi."

XxX

 **TA~DA!**

 **I was watching the Olympics while writing this and holy shit, seeing those girls doing flips on the beam and the floor exercise nearly made my heart stop!**

 **Please review!**


	5. Chapter 4

**I AM BACK! Sorry for putting the story short hiatus but the plot bunnies escaped from their pen and I lost interest for a brief time. And for a quick update for you all (since the last time I updated was in August), as it was my last semester in college, and I wanted to do things I didn't do at my time in school. So I decided to go all out for Halloween and I BROUGHT AN INFATABLE T-REX COSTUME! Guys, I love that costume sooooooo much. I am keeping it forever. And I brought smiles to people's faces. Which I love to do.**

 **So enjoy!**

 **NInjaChipmunkWearingAT-RexCostume out!**

* * *

 **I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. I DO OWN MY OCS**

* * *

"….And now we're here." I explained, taking a sip of sake as Asuma and I sat on the back porch.

Asuma exhaled heavily, sending a long streak of smoke into the air. "Well then."

I grimaced at the smell and reached over to pluck the cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it into the koi pond. Ignoring his protests, I leaned back on my hands with a sigh, watching the soft ripples made by the koi fish.

"So the brat is Asuka's?" I asked, sliding my eyes towards my baby brother. "When did he get hitched?"

Grumbling under his breath as he fished out a new cigarette and lit it, Asuma took in another inhale. "About 7 years ago. Married a lower clan member that Mom and Dad picked out."

"And where are they now?"

Asuma shrugged. "Last I saw they're both in ANBU."

I quirked an eyebrow at him. "Saw?"

"They're rarely off missions. But you'd be proud of Asuka, he's improved over these past years."

"I'm glad."

Silence fell over us for a few minutes, crickets echoing across the yard. At this point I wasn't really sure on what to tell everyone. I had been lying to them about protecting Minato's child from the enemy, while in reality; I left the village thinking I was pregnant with Naruto. Instead I gave birth to Raiu, a person that had never existed in the first place.

"Hey Asuma?"

"Hm?"

I turned my head to look at my brother with a quirked eyebrow. "Who the hell named the kid 'Konohamaru'?"

The man snorted with a slight grin. "You can thank Lord Hokage for that. Asuka and his wife didn't really have a plan when they learned about the pregnancy."

I rolled my eyes again. Once again, Hiruzen Sarutobi was a great fearless Hokage, but he was not an expert at naming children.

"Sis?"

I blinked. "Hm?"

"Did you see the others?" He asked, holding his cigarette in one hand as he took a shot of sake.

I thought my nose throbbed at his question. Giving a rub, I sighed heavily. "Yeah. They didn't take it so well, especially Tsume. I guess I'll have to deal with them tomorrow. Which should be fun."

"Speaking of pregnancy," Asuma said, sliding his eyes over me. "Your kid sure looks a lot like him."

I huffed, a slight smile stretching across my face. "Don't I know it. That's half the reason we kept on moving from place to place."

"And the other half?" He questioned, taking another inhale.

"Well, I guess I was scared." I admitted.

Asuma raised his eyebrow. "Of what?"

"What else? I was the esteemed daughter of the Hokage, was in a relationship with the Yellow Flash, who's reputation preceded him, and I was pregnant with his child. Doesn't that sound the least bit tempting for enemy nin?" I questioned.

"Yeah, I suppose so."

"Mom?"

Looking behind us, Asuma and I meet the unsure eyes of Raiu who hovered by the door nervously.

"What's up Raiu?"

He glanced over at Asuma hesitantly before looking me. "May I speak to you?"

Concern began to crawl up my mind as I stood up and walked over to my son. "Of course. Asuma," I said, looking over my shoulder at my brother. "I'll see you at breakfast, ok?"

He nodded, raising a hand. "Sounds good. Night you two."

"Night."

"Goodnight…Uncle."

Stepping through the doorway, I closed the door and turned my attention to Raiu. "What's up kiddo?"

He gave me an almost unconformable glance. "Well, Konohamaru has been barging into my room for the past half hour, challenging me to see who is the worthier grandson and the last time….well he…"

I frown. "He what?"

Raiu shuffled his feet, a red sheen on his face. "He did a transformation jutsu and turned into…um..."

At his hesitation, understanding dawned on me and I raised my eyes to the heavens.

"For the love of-"

' _Let the fun begin~!'_

Quiet you.

* * *

The next morning, I stood in the shinobi cemetery, staring down at the stone marker as I awaited the arrival of my old friends. Raiu was with Dad, something about the upcoming Chunin exams.

Kneeling, I picked up one the fresh lilies someone had left. Must have been some children who decided to wash the gravestones and place fresh flowers down. Running my hand along the gravestone, my eye tracing the kanji carved into the surface with the Leaf's symbol etched under my name.

 _Sarutobi Naegi_

 _B. April 14 D. January 7_

Glancing to the gravestone to the left of mine, my heart dropped at the name of my mother, lilies placed under her name.

Raising my head, I looked up at the massive flame statue, the names of the past Hokages inscribed in the stone. Kushina was around here somewhere, but her and every other shinobi who gave their lives for the village, had their names on the Memorial Stone.

Including mine.

Shit.

' _So how ya doing_?'

Go away.

' _Can't. I am part of the wonderful, beautiful thing that is your mind. I'm like your conscious. But with more snark.'_

I'm busy.

A snort. _'Of course you are.'_

I need to concentrate.

' _Of course do you. After, good luck explaining to our old friends as to why we upped and left.'_

Shut up.

' _I had it all planned. We would of returned and saved the day, claiming that I had gone undercover to find Orochimaru and stop his evil plans. Dad would we-'_

 **ENOUGH!**

I gritted my teeth, snarling at the now silent presence in my mind.

 **You will be silent!**

She was quiet for a brief moment before speaking one more time.

' _You need to read our book. Seriously, it could change everything_.' And then her presence faded.

Cracking my eye open, I gazed up at the blue sky.

"So it's true." A faint male voice whispered behind me.

Opening my eye, I looked over my shoulder to see number of shinobi standing there. They had all gotten older, faint wrinkles lining their face but they never changed. A Hyuga was in the front of the group, his white purple eyes studying me intently. Glancing at his bare forehead, I assumed that the speaker was Hiashi.

"You have betrayed us."

Turning, I faced the group, ignoring his accusatory jab. "With good intentions." I said quietly.

Hiashi's frown grew deeper. "I _highly_ doubt that." I could see a few of them nod their heads in agreement.

Someone clearing their throat made heads turn to look at Inochi, who stood next a solemn Shikaku and sad looking Choźa. "She does have a reason, one that she believes was necessary." He said calmly.

"And that was?" Shibi spoke up from the far side, his mouth hidden by the high collar of his coat.

Swallowing, I said, "16 years ago, I had gone to Tsunade to receive her approval to go back out in the field after a being injured in a past mission. During my checkup, she found something that was…rather surprising."

"That was?" Tsume said hotly. In the back, Shikaku lowered his head and diverted his eyes.

I shifted my weight, crossing my arms over my chest. "I was pregnant with Minato's baby."

Looks over surprise took over my old friend's faces, minus Shikaku and Inochi.

"Pregnant?" Tsume breathed, her eyes wide. "Namikaze got you knocked up?"

I nearly rolled my eyes. "To be short and simple, yes. Minato put a mini him inside me."

"So if you survived, does that mean…?" Choźa let his sentence hang, uncertainly in his tone.

My lips twitched. "Yeah. I had the baby. A boy, and he looks nearly identical to his father but with some of my features. His name is Raiu."

"You mean the kid in the Hokage's office?" Tsume questioned. "That's your kid?"

I nodded. "That's my baby."

"So what, he was the reason you left and played dead? Making us mourn for you after all these years?" Hiashi said, his voice tight.

Rubbing my eye, I sighed. Looking up, I asked, "This needs to told over some sake."

* * *

 **Ta-da!**


End file.
